True Love Ever After

Michelle's P.O.V.

The funeral was held a little over two weeks later and as I strapped the twins in to my car, I still had tears flowing, remembering the night my best friend died. After all it was the memory that has been haunting my nightmares, making sleep unbearable.

*FLASHBACK*

I tried to run back in to the room, but I was shoved out. Instead I stood outside the window, watching doctors furiously move around, trying to being back their stable heart beats.

After 20 minutes of standing there, I saw one of the
nurses look up her eyes meeting mine and a pained look on her face.

It hit me, I knew instantly.

I didn't care anymore, I just started screaming.

"NO! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NO!"

I tried as hard as I could, reaching for the door handle to the room. I made my way in there for, managing to grab Ally's hand for a split second before I was being pulled away.

"ALLY YOU'RE NOT LEAVING ME!" I screamed as they managed to pull me away out outside the door.

All I did was fall in a crumpled heap to the floor, sobbing even more.

"Don't leave me." I whispered.

*FLASHBACK OVER*

After that everything was slow motion. All I remember was being picked up from the floor, and driven home.

I didn't get any sleep that night or day. I haven't gotten any sleep at all for the past two weeks. Every time that night is just a movie, playing over and over again.

So as I drove, I kept my eye on the back seat, watching Alex and Alice. They were smart kids, there wasn't even a way other than to tell them. They had been staying with me all this time.

They only looked back at me with sad eyes, I knew they were hurting just as much as I was, and it literally killed me inside how they were always telling me that it was gonna be okay, that mummy and daddy in a happy place.

I must have sat in my parked car for who knows how long, just staring out the window. I had been like that a lot lately, just blanking out, staring off in to space.

"Auntie, are you okay?" I heard a soft voice in the back, I smiled a bit, knowing it was Alice.
"Yes, sweetie, just thinking is all."

Without another word I got out of the car, my black skirt shifting to look normal again and I stood up and closed my door, opening the back door of my car to get the kids out.

"Come on you two. But remember, be quiet okay?"

I smiled again as they nodded, noticing for the first time just how much of a spitting image of their mother they are. From there my face darkened as I picked up Alice, Alex grabbing my hand as we walked towards the cemetery, my footsteps sinking in to the grass as we met up with the boys, who had been here early to help.

I thought about how much it fit that there were dark grey clouds in the sky all day.

................

I don't know how I was making it through this, how I just sat there feeling numb, but that's all it was.

Finally it was my turn, my turn for a eulogy. Stepping up to the stand, I looked at the small amount of people that were here, it was rather intimate really. I coughed before finally starting.

"Ally. Where can I possibly start on Ally? My best friend, a bubble of light and a ray of sunshine. My Ally. From the first day we had met, we got along more perfect than anyone could have thought. We stuck together like glue, forming a close bond right then and there. We went through so much together. She helped me and was there for me when no one else was, in ways that no one else was. I was blessed to walk down the aisle at her wedding, as her maid of honour and I was even luckier to see do the same for me at my own wedding. And Kyle, Kyle was one of the sweetest guys I had ever met in my life, I could instantly see how in love they were, how perfect they were for each other. If I had to sum them both up I'd say only this: generous people, beautifully in love, and amazing parents. I wish to God I wasn't here today, not for this. Never in a million years did I think something like this would happen, but I know she's still my beautiful best friend Ally, and both her and Kyle are up there, just as in love as they were right here with us."

I could't help but start crying myself, finally letting emotion show as I stepped down, returning to my seat beside the kids and Josh. He instantly grabbed my hand, rubbing circles in to the top of it with this thumb.

However I felt eyes on me, so many eyes as the service slowly ended. I sat there and watched as the caskets lowered and by now I had made the boys take the kids inside, they didn't need to see this at all.

As I stood there, just staring at the ground, I saw some one begin to walk towards me in my peripheral vision. Before they could even speak I opened my mouth.

"Can I help you?" I asked, my voice sharper than I wanted it to be.
"My name is Michael. I'm the lawyer who uh, went over Allison and Kyle's wills."
"And what brings you to me?"
"I have a feeling you might know."
"Maybe, but you should probably just tell me, no?"
"Look, nothing has relatively changed, pretty much everything went to their families. However it looks like something was added and changed, just after the kids were born."
"And that would be?" I didn't even have to ask though, I had a feeling I knew what was coming next.
"It seems that they have left guardianship to you."

Hearing it was still a shock, no matter how long I've seen it coming.

"So that entails what?" I asked.
"Well, you are now the legal guardian of their twins, you and your husband. It is if you are now their parents."

With that he left, saying he'd be in touch.

I almost choked, this was too much to handle. I never wanted kids, never have. I loved the twins so much though. Even worse: how am I supposed to tell Josh? How are we supposed to handle this?

It's going to be a struggle, especially with two people who have never really liked kids. But I mean, we've been through a lot, this was surely just a little bit easier.

I took a deep breath, walking inside the Church and getting ready to face the music.